Recent research from the Gambling Commission has uncovered telling patterns about how often people in Great Britain gamble—and why it matters for player safety. The findings challenge the simple “gambler or non-gambler” categorisation that has long dominated discussions around gambling behaviour.
The Four Types of Gamblers
The UK Gambling Commission’s survey identified four distinct groups based on gambling frequency over the past year:
- Weekly non-lottery gamblers represent the smallest segment at roughly 17% of all gamblers. These individuals place bets, play slots, or engage with other gambling games at least once a week, excluding lottery tickets. However, it’s recognised as the group with the highest risk.
- Weekly lottery-only players make up about 22% of gamblers. This group purchases lottery tickets regularly but rarely participates in other forms of gambling.
The two remaining groups are less frequent participants: around 40% gambled within the past four weeks but not weekly, whilst approximately 21% hadn’t gambled in the past month despite having done so within the year.
What makes this segmentation meaningful is the correlation between gambling frequency and risk indicators.
Those who gamble weekly on non-lottery activities demonstrate notably higher risk profiles than less frequent gamblers. This isn’t simply about how often someone plays—it’s about the combination of frequency and gambling diversity.
Weekly non-lottery gamblers often engage with multiple types of online casino games. Someone in this category might bet on football matches, try a few spins on a slot machine or play a few hands of blackjack. This variety of activities, coupled with regular participation, creates a distinctly different risk profile compared to someone who only buys a lottery ticket each week.
The lottery-only group presents an interesting contrast. Despite the members in this group also gambling weekly, these individuals show a much lower risk metric and minimal engagement with other gambling forms. They buy their lottery ticket and that’s it.
The data suggest that lottery participation, even when frequent, operates differently from other gambling behaviours.
Demographic Differences
The research also reveals stark demographic contrasts between the gambling groups.
The weekly non-lottery gamblers are more likely to be male (64%) in the age of 35-64 (52%). This is the gambler frequency with the biggest gender gap, and the other groups are all closer to 50%. This group also shows higher representation among those with lower educational qualifications, social housing tenants, and residents of economically deprived areas.
These aren’t merely correlations—the Gambling Commission used multinomial regression analysis that controlled for overlapping variables, meaning these patterns hold even after accounting for factors like regional differences and age.
The weekly lottery-only cohort presents an almost inverse profile. Over a third are aged 65 or above (35%), they’re more likely to be married, and home ownership—particularly outright ownership without mortgages—is notably higher. Interestingly, only 20% in this group identify as single, while this is more even (36% to 39%) for all other groups. This group also shows lower rates of living in deprived areas and tends to have completed at least basic qualifications. This group is the most equally divided between the genders, with 52% male, 48% female and/or non-binary.
Interestingly, ethnicity appears less differentiated across gambling frequency groups. The weekly non-lottery segment at 14% non-white tracking close to population baselines. The biggest difference among this segment is the weekly lottery group, with just 8% non-white. Still, the differences are rather small.
Practical Implications for Safer Gambling
These distinctions underscore why lottery-only gambling carries different risk characteristics—the life circumstances and stability markers differ substantially from those of frequent gamblers across multiple products.
Understanding these patterns creates opportunities for more nuanced approaches to player protection. Rather than applying blanket interventions, operators and regulators can tailor safety measures based on specific behaviour profiles. If this is something the UKGC will focus on next awaits to be seen.
For individuals who gamble, self-awareness about frequency and variety can be valuable. If you find yourself gambling weekly across multiple platforms, consider implementing personal safeguards:
- Set firm spending limits before you start playing, not during or after. You should be able to cap your deposits and sessions on all UK casinos, which removes in-the-moment decision-making when you’re already engaged.
- Track your time and money honestly. It’s easy to underestimate how much you’re spending across different platforms. Timing your sessions for a week and adding them to a sheet can help you get a better picture.
- Recognise the difference between entertainment and escape. Gambling becomes riskier when it shifts from occasional leisure to a regular way of managing stress, boredom, or emotions.
- Take genuine breaks. This doesn’t mean just switching from sports betting to casino games—it means stepping away from gambling entirely for defined periods.
- Use available tools. Self-exclusion schemes, reality checks, and cooling-off periods exist for good reasons. They’re not signs of failure; they’re practical tools for maintaining control, designed to help you stay on top of your gambling habits.
To ensure you gamble within your means, you should take advantage of the resources available online. One recommended website is CasiMonka UK, which lists the reliable online casinos and offers tips on responsible gambling and other gambling-related topics.
